A couple of weeks ago, one of my nephews posted on FaceBook that he was interested in writing, and asked for suggestions on how he should proceed. I replied with the old adage.."Write what you know". Now, that may not always be true - particularly in Fantasy/SciFi works - but, interestingly, I have recently read a few books that justify that saying. That being said, I'm going to change the format I usually post in so that I can explain this.
Series
Andrew Vachss
Vachss has been a Federal investigator, a social caseworker, and a director of a maximum security prison for youthful offenders. His life has been focused on the exploitation of children. I had the opportunity to pick up several of his books at the same time, and read two of them back-to-back.
Strega - ($11.00/$.50, copyright 1987, 293 pages, Trade Paperback)
Vachss' main character is Burke. He's a product of the "system" - no known parents, foster-raised and street-trained,with time spent honing himself in prison. He has created a family of his own among the street people and criminals that people the city. In this one, he's hired to locate a photograph of a young boy who's being abused. He does what he has to do, meeting with damaged people and dealing with the seamy underside of New York. I enjoyed it.
Choice of Evil - ($13.00/$.50, copyright 1999, 305 pages, Trade Paperback)
Burke is faced with a part of his past that he's not entirely comfortable with. His girlfriend has been killed in a drive-by that appears to be anti-gay which, in turn, leads to some serious reprisals by an anonymous killer. The consensus is that this killer is an old associate of Burke's who is supposed to be dead. I found this one to be less interesting. Burke seemed more needy, and his supporting cast less effective. It was OK.
Eddie Muller
This Eddie Muller's father was the Eddie Muller who wrote the "Shadow Boxing" column in the old San Francisco Examiner starting back in the 1930's. Boxing continued to be very big into the 1950's, actually becoming one of the major draws at the birth of TV. Eddie Junior (the author) has made his reputation on books about Film Noir - and the ways people deal with different crimes under mundane circumstances.
The Distance - ($14.90/$.50, copyright 2004, 413 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is set in a time and place I was totally unfamiliar with - the boxing scene in 1948 San Francisco as seen through the eyes of a newspaper columnist - Mr. Boxing, Billy Nichols. It starts with him stumbling into a crime scene and trying to help out a friend, and then spirals outward. Boxers, fixers, cops, dames...they're all here, and they look good in the black-and-white that they're painted in. This would've been a great movie. I enjoyed it.
I have several books - directions - to go from here. Not sure which way I'll turn. But the bottom line is - write what you feel, what pours out of you. If it makes you happy, nothing else matters.
Oh, and...
Keep reading.
